Aria's POV

" Aria, come back!" I hear Ezra yell at me from his truck.

I see a man who I don't know standing on my porch. I stare at him for a moment and realize he looks familiar.

" Aria, please come back!" Ezra cries to me.

I sense fear in his voice, so I quickly run to the truck.

" Ezra what's wrong? Do you know who that man is?" I ask.

" That is my father." Ezra answers calmly.

" What is he doing at my house?" I ask.

Before Ezra can say anything I see my dad on the porch. I can see hatred and fear in his eyes. A second later the two men are screaming at each other.

" What's going on?" I ask nervously.

" I honestly don't know, but it's not safe for you to be here." Ezra warns.

" My mom is expecting me, what am I suppose to do?" I ask.

" Call her and tell her you're studying with a friend. I'll get you out of here." Ezra tells me.

I call my mom and tell her I'm studying with Spencer. Ezra speeds off of my street.

" Where are you taking me?" I ask nervously.

" I don't really know." He admits.

I stare out the window, and wonder if I should be trusting Ezra. My parents obviously want me to stay as far away from the Fitzes as possible. There has to be a reason for that.

" Are you hungry?" Ezra asks interrupting my thoughts.

" Starving." I reply.

Ezra pulls up to an old pizza parlor. I've seen it many times, but I've never took the time to eat there. We enter the rustic restaurant and sit in a booth in the corner.

" Why are we here?" I ask Ezra.

" What? Do you not like Italian?" He asks.

" I mean why is it so dangerous for me to be at home?" I question.

" Look, Aria, my dad isn't a good guy. We have never exactly gotten along. I panicked when I saw him and wanted you to stay as far away from him as possible." Ezra explains.

" I wonder what he was doing at my house." I think out loud.

" I don't know, we haven't spoken in months." Ezra confesses.

" Really? Where do you live?" I ask curiously.

" My buddy Hardy's family has an apartment near Hollis they never use. Hardy gave me a set of keys and told me I could use it when ever I wanted." He explains.

" Why don't you live at home?" I ask.

" Again, my father and I don't exactly get along." He replies.

" I don't think me family likes your family." I tell Ezra.

" I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't, a lot of people don't." He says.

" But I think there is something seriously wrong between them." I say.

" Why would you think that?" Ezra questions.

" Do you remember that afternoon in eight grade when we spoke on the black top?" I ask.

" Yes." Ezra answers.

" I got home half an hour late. When my parents asked me where I was, I told them I was talking to you. My father was furious and told me to never go near you. My mother looked terribly frightened." I explain.

" That's defiantly weird, did you see them yelling at each other tonight?" Ezra asks.

" Yeah, I've never seen my dad so mad." I tell Ezra.

" Why don't you get along with your dad?" I ask Ezra suddenly.

He looks down at his pizza and doesn't answer.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that." I say apologetically.

" Don't be sorry, we just haven't seen things eye to eye since my parents got divorced." Ezra answers.

" If your parents are divorced, why don't you live with your mom?" I ask him.

" She just got up and left one morning. I haven't seen her since I was twelve." Ezra explains.

" I'm really sorry." I say.

He smiles sadly at me.

" Are you ready to go?" He asks.

" Yes, thank you so much for the pizza." I tell him.

" Don't mention it." He says.

Ezra drops me off in my front yard. As soon as I enter my house I hear my parents arguing.

" Believe me Ella, I don't want him anywhere near here." My dad yells.

" Hi honey, how was Spencer's?" My mom asks when she notices me.

" Fine I guess. What's going on here?" I ask worriedly.

" Nothing you need to worry about." My dad says and leaves the room.

" Mom, do you and Dad ever talk to the Fitzes?" I ask bravely.

" No never. Why would you ask that." My mom asks nervously.

" No reason." I answer.

" You haven't been talking to their son right?" My mom asks.

" No." I lie.

" Good, you can't trust him Aria." My mom says and storms out of the living room.

Ezra's POV

I sit on my couch and do homework. I can't get Aria Montgomery out of my head. I am starting to like her as much more than a friend. I wonder if what she said about our families not liking each other is true. I absent-mindedly walk over to a box of things I stole from my father's house. I grab his old high school yearbook and flip through the pages, I find the page my mother's picture is on. Sometimes I like to stare at it and pretend she is with me. I was devastated when she left me. Part of me hates her for what she did to me, the other part of me wishes she had taken me with her. I can't blame her for wanting to get away from my dad, he never treated her right. I leave the yearbook open and continue to study. The wind coming from my open window flips the book to the last page. The page is filled with signatures from my fathers classmates. Surprisingly, people seem to actually like him. I wonder when he became the cold hearted monster he is today. My eyes pop out of my head when I see one particular signature.

High school is finally over bro! I've had such a great time with you these last four years. College is going to be awesome, I can't wait to party with you. I know we will be best friends for the rest of our lives.

- Byron Montgomery

Aria was wrong, our dads are best friends. Her dad said they were going to college together in his message. I quickly pull out my dad's college yearbook and flip to the signature pages. I can't find any signatures in this yearbook. I finally find one written in the lower left corner on the last page.

I'll get you for what you have done. Stay away from Ella and I for as long as you live.

- Byron Montgomery

I gasp in shock. Aria was right, her parents do hate my dad. I wonder what he had done to the Montgomery's. He probably hates them just as much as they hate him. If that's true, he will do whatever it takes to hurt them, even if that means doing something to hurt Aria. I should have told her about the kind of abusive man my father is, but the only person I've ever told is Hardy. A realization washes over me. If my father finds out Aria and I are friends, it will give him more of a reason to hurt her. He would be getting back at me for leaving, and at the Montgomery's for whatever he dislikes them for. Aria could be in serious danger, and hanging out with me isn't going to help her. I'll have to tell her never to speak with me again, no matter how much it's going to hurt.

What do you all think? Please review and tell me. I hope you all have a nice weekend :).